Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 20, 2021

3,508 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Mitchell Livestock Auction report →

light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $119.24/cwt -0.70 vs last sale · ≈ $1,094/hd at 918 lb · 464 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $120.72/cwt +0.31 vs last sale · ≈ $1,065/hd at 882 lb · 462 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $128.74/cwt +2.15 vs last sale · ≈ $935/hd at 726 lb · 286 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,508 3,167 3,383
Feeder cattle 3,508 3,167 3,383

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: A higher undertone was noted on steers up to 900 lbs. Steers 900-1000 lbs. sold 1.00-4.00 higher, a lower undertone was noted on steers over 1000 lbs. Heifers 700-800 lbs. sold 2.00-6.00 higher, 850-950 lbs. sold unevenly steady. Many load lots for todays auction. Demand was good. The next cattle auction will be May 27th, expecting 3000 head of cattle, starting at 9:00 am.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
555–572 566 8 161.00–165.00 $162.47 $920 -1.53
657–662 661 39 153.50–166.50 $158.28 $1,046 —
756–775 770 60 143.50–147.75 $145.88 $1,123 +4.38
806–845 823 68 132.50–139.25 $138.28 $1,138 +5.13
872–884 874 82 132.50–134.75 $134.28 $1,174 +2.49
902–948 930 273 126.50–132.10 $130.11 $1,210 +4.28
960–999 988 173 125.75–127.50 $126.75 $1,252 +6.50
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1007–1032 1014 88 120.50–124.25 $123.87 $1,256 —
1095–1099 1096 273 121.60–122.75 $122.52 $1,343 -1.33
1151–1164 1155 164 116.75–119.50 $118.83 $1,372 —
1204 1204 6 112.75 $112.75 $1,358 —
1283 1283 3 110.00 $110.00 $1,411 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
496 496 9 147.00 $147.00 $729 —
564–590 581 30 153.00–158.00 $155.35 $903 +8.22
605–641 616 17 146.00–148.50 $147.73 $910 —
684–696 687 42 140.50–145.50 $142.29 $978 +4.29
711–734 722 62 138.00–141.50 $139.22 $1,005 +4.30
756–799 790 35 135.50–139.00 $136.99 $1,082 +5.71
949 949 4 121.00 $121.00 $1,148 +10.50
972 972 4 116.50 $116.50 $1,132 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560 thin fleshed 560 9 152.00 $152.00 $851 —
572–597 584 15 139.00–141.50 $140.19 $819 -0.81
608–632 623 31 135.00–140.00 $136.73 $852 -6.46
653–687 678 209 129.25–138.00 $132.36 $897 +10.36
706–736 726 286 126.50–131.75 $128.74 $935 +2.15
756–794 772 195 123.00–132.75 $129.22 $998 +10.22
772 772 5 135.50 $135.50 $1,046 +16.50
851 851 16 127.25 $127.25 $1,083 +14.75
861–895 883 446 116.25–124.00 $120.49 $1,064 +0.01
902–925 914 396 115.50–119.25 $118.51 $1,083 +12.01
909–943 940 68 123.00–123.50 $123.46 $1,161 +3.25
964 964 17 115.25 $115.25 $1,111 -3.41
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
438 438 8 150.00 $150.00 $657 —
548 548 13 141.00 $141.00 $773 +1.00
564 564 10 130.00 $130.00 $733 -3.00
663–664 663 41 121.50–126.00 $124.68 $827 -2.15
754–786 776 52 115.25–123.00 $118.09 $916 +3.59
844 844 9 113.00 $113.00 $954 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1041 1041 19 112.85 $112.85 $1,175 -3.15
1054–1067 1059 34 111.00–113.50 $112.54 $1,192 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945 945 57 116.00 $116.00 $1,096 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.